


Amasar and Bulqadar hit Eorzea

by issaMorg



Series: Amasar's [Mis]Adventures in Eorza [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Amasar has two hands and so do Fray and Sid, Au Ra Xaela Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Background Haurchefant Greystone/Warrior of Light, Dealing With Trauma, I mean it this time, M/M, Miqo'te Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Multiple Warriors of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Rielle can have three dads it's fine okay, This story is headcanon rich, as will additional tags, it will be full of my xaela headcanons and you cannot stop me, look I'm here for Dark Knight Family content and if I must provide I will do so, more characters will be added as I get there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24032395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/issaMorg/pseuds/issaMorg
Summary: Sometimes, when Fate is kind, you don't lose those you would miss most.Or where Amasar has his twin with him, and with extra hands we face a lot less tragedy.
Relationships: Fray Myste/Sidurgu Orl, Fray Myste/Sidurgu Orl/Warrior of Light, Fray Myste/Warrior of Light, Sidurgu Orl/Warrior of Light
Series: Amasar's [Mis]Adventures in Eorza [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1412659
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. Into Ishgard

**Author's Note:**

> This is a long one, and I've only got so much of it done. I love writing where Bulqadar lived and Amasar has Less Trauma and can be more Free! But that's not his canon, for all I love it.
> 
> In the meantime, have what would be different for the two, had fates been kinder.
> 
> As always when I write, _"text in italics surrounded by less than and greater than symbols"_ is spoken in the language of the Steppe/Old Auri. Whatever it's called. Can't show it in application because AO3 thinks it's me trying and failing at HTML coding
> 
> **WARNING:** Mentions and non-graphic descriptions of a character wounded and being healed. If you need to skip this, look for the text "I'm not paying for that" or the section after the first line break.

It would be a lie to say that it wasn't often that the Forgotten Knight was busy. With the overwhelming threat of dragons, dead family due to the war with dragons, the Brume burned down _by_ the aforementioned dragons, and the Temple Knights being who they were? It was more often than not that people had some sorrow to drink away.

What not many expected was two blue auri to burst in, carrying a fully armored man and yelling at each other as they hoisted him in.

What Sidurgu certainly hadn't expected was for that armored man to be Fray, nor for the auri in question to be yelling at each other in his native tongue. Once they made it up the stairs, Gibrillont was quick to start yelling at the two. They blew him off as they maneuvered the injured man through the throng, very carefully managing to keep the sword in the Dark Knight's side from shifting and slicing him open further.

The Himaa swiftly made their way to the closest and emptiest table, which happened to be the one he and Rielle were at, one of them barking out "Move what's on the table or lose it!" in common.

Rielle quickly gathered her plate of food, pulling the lantern off the table and holding it in her other hand as the quieter brother swept the table clear of bottles. She looked at Sid with concern on her features- Fray was hardly the only one to come back in bad shape, but never this bad. Once he was hoisted upon the table and the sword steadied, she grabbed Fray's staff and began channeling healing magic into the man.

The quieter of the two watched anxiously as the wounds knit closed, his twin speaking lowly with the proprietor. Once enough of the blood flow had stemmed, the auri's eyes met with Rielle's and he reached for the sword. She nodded, and with a swift pull, the sword was out and the magic working on knitting the gash. It clattered to the floor as the man began rummaging through his own pack, grumbling under his breath as he did.

The wounds healed, Fray’s condition looking more promising already- if the tuft of phoenix down by the stab wound was any indication, half the battle of bringing the hyur from the brink of death was won. The hard part was keeping him there, and the wounds were extensive. Slowly the already pale elezen was getting paler. 

She knew her strength was flagging, but she would persevere. For Fray's sake.

She labored in silence, the mood of the tavern somber with all eyes on their table as she worked. Even the one brother was still having a heated conversation with Gibrillont, but it was muted to allow the girl better focus. All the while the other twin continued in his bag, the odd clinking and rustling of various items as they hit one another in his search.

With a triumphant noise, he pulled from his bag a series of yellow potions, placing them before her and popping a cork. Placing the open one in her hand, he explained in broken common, "Magic. Ether? Drink."

She nodded, trusting in the familiarity of the potion and took the drink before Sid could get a word in edgewise. Upon drinking the unpleasant concoction she shivered at the horrid taste, but feeling its immediate effects with each swallow. Each bottle bolstered her magic, and her magic pulling the hyur closer and closer to the threshold of the living.

Soon enough, she was able to stop her casting, huffing a sigh as she sagged against the wooden surface. Sid split his attention between the elezen girl and the hyur on the table. The man who had been fiddling with his bags placed them by the table, going to confer with his twin and the barkeep.

Reille smiled up at Sid, exhaustion on her features but pride in her smile at the deed she had done. Sid smiled back at the girl, turning his eyes back to Fray's form with enough time for his eyes to harden and draw his sword at the strange Xaela reaching for Fray.

In those seconds, a few things happened.

Sidurgu drew his sword, moving to point it threateningly at one of the twins.

The blue archer's eyes widened, moving back and to the right into a crouch.

The other twin's eyes narrowed, leaned to the left, and faster than many could process there was the crack of a whip, a yank, and the Sid's sword was being pulled through the air.

The crouching brother snagged it from its arc in the air, falling into a more defensive position- even with the unwieldy weapon.

Fray's eyes opened, and he jerked upright with a shuddering, gasping breath.

In the silence that stretched, the odd party staring from one another, someone dropped a glass. The whip-wielding brother, piping up once more, "I'm not paying for that."

* * *

Once ~~banished to~~ settled in an inn room in the forgotten knight, the group looked from one another suspiciously.

"< _You two saved him > _," Sid states, jerking his head toward where a simmering Fray lay, Rielle keeping him occupied.

The duo nod, "< _couldn't let him die > _," the whip wielder stated.

The other smiled, "< _it's not often your twin takes interest in a dying man, after all_ ,>" he teased, the other stiffening and shoving him.

He barked a laugh as he rocked back into his original position, the ease with which the tribesmen were in sync and the pang of nostalgia of speaking his mother tongue getting to Sid as they stood and chatted. The uncomfortable feeling didn't dissipate, though, as the Orl survivor stewed on that tidbit of knowledge.

"If you're done speaking so we can't understand," Fray chimed in dryly from his place at the bed, "what brings you here to Coerthas?"

"Other than saving the odd charming stranger?"

" **_Bulqadar-_ **"

"We're here for work," the chattier of the two, Bulqadar apparently, offered up.

"Personal reason is look for Orl," the one coiling his whip up chimed in.

The temperature of the room fell, and two blue auri stiffened in unease.

Sidurgu straightened, raising his head as he looked from one twin to the other, "what reason have you to look for the Orl?"

The brothers looked uneasily at one another. "Aunt joined Orl years ago," the still unnamed of the two began, "her twin had children. Just died, wants her twin in their life. Meet the children, take if she has none? Old enough to know mother's face, young enough to forget if not careful. Want to keep the memories if can."

Bulqadar nodded, "Amasar has the gist of it. I've heard naught about any auri in Eorza, though, and with the ease Amadar and I were able to convince the scions we hatched from eggs? Let alone how long it took for them to realize that we were two separate people?" Bulqadar shook his head, "it bodes ill to say the least."

The other- Amasar? Amadar?- nodded, "Bulqasar right, the Orl were not Arulaq, to hide not their nature."

Sid could feel Fray and Rielle's gaze on him as he stood there, silently burning as he remembered the fateful day where he lost everything, but gained his quest. Eyes hardened, his gaze flicked from one brother to the other, "you seek the Orl, and the Orl you have found. I am all that remains, the Temple Knights having slaughtered the rest with only the ‘mercy’ of letting us decide the order of our deaths."

The twins reeled back as if struck, looking from one another and back to Sid. The more talkative one began, “when-”

“ **_When did this happen_ **,” it was a demand and came from the one with the potions. His face was an impassive mask, but the two dark knights could sense the familiar darkness stirring amongst his Aether. In another day at another time, it's possible he could have been counted among their ranks for all the dark he holds. But his twin places a hand on his shoulder and he settles.

Sid looked away, smothering a tendril of longing for the familiarity of _family_ and _tribe_ that coiled at the base of his stomach. "Before the Calamity, before the land was a frozen hell. Back when it was…" back when it was like _home_.

But it was not his home, this city never could be. Ishgard would not be his home so long as the Temple Knights remained, but neither could he leave with his oath…

Regardless, his guard was down and soon he found himself caged in a hug between the twins. He stiffened, jerking to try to free himself before the Himaa, in unison, rubbed their horns against his own.

The effect it had on him was immediate, and Fray and Rielle watched with some sense of awe as the tension left Sid’s frame and he sagged, held up solely by the duo. Rielle turned to Fray with concern on her features- while they both knew the xaela’s constant anger, brooding, and scorn was a mask, seeing it fall so quickly was concerning on some level.

The quiet one started humming, and the other started a soft song to accompany the tune. Sid _shuddered_ and a sob ripped itself from his throat, arms wrapping around the humming one and _clinging_ to him as he allowed himself this moment of weakness.

The hyur and elezen listened along to the song, the tune soft and solemn. They could pick up a word here and there, their time with Sidurgu letting them pick up snippets of his native tongue. Yet for all that they didn't know the language, it was rather obvious what the song was.

Something to send off the fallen, something to welcome them home, something to say a final goodbye…

Family mourning a tragedy. A memory to be recorded. The Orl to be remembered.

They stood there for some time, just letting the pale xaela between them physically release his grief that he’d held onto for years. The knowledge that his tribe would not be forgotten, that their memory could be respected and their souls laid to rest a balm on a wound he hadn’t realized had turned into a knotted and jagged scar.

It’s long after the song has ended and his tears dried that the quiet one speaks up, “there anything we can do? That you have not been able?”

Fray stiffens a little when Sid nods, murmuring a few short words in their native tongue that he was unfamiliar with. The twins themselves nod, the chattier of the two rubbing his horn against Sid's once more before he extracted himself and grabbed his bag and his bow, "I'll be back, I need to buy supplies if we're to do this right. Amasar, you can keep an eye on things here?"

He smiled and nodded, waving as the door closed behind his twin. The stranger seemed to have no qualms with sitting with three complete strangers, though he did motion for Sid to take the seat by the bed where he took one by the fireplace.

Over to the chair Sid went, slumping into it and just staring blankly at the comforter. Fray turned to his companion for years, taking in just how drained he looked.

Fray had assumed that when he had joined the xaela and their mentor, that respects had been paid for his tribe. "Sid, I didn't… was there nothing we could have done?"

Sid jerked his head up and he snagged Fray's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "We did, well, we _tried_ , but…"

"Only so many things you can do by yourself," the quiet one stated, "our society isn't designed for you to be alone."

This was a far cry from the man who spoke with broken common in the inn proper, and for all his assistance Fray couldn't help but look at him with some skepticism.

"Many tribes absorb other tribes through battle, others absorb the lost and alone. Mourning large losses is not widely taught among youth, in hopes to avoid them. Either way, it takes many to mourn properly."

"And what difference do you and your brother make," Fray found himself asking, feeling hurt at some level that he couldn't help Sid earlier.

The man looked at Fray with a sad smile, "there's only so much the Warriors of Light can do, even if one of them shares the title of Azure Dragoon," but he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he pets a kitten- where did it come from anyway? And the _bat_? "But as xaela we can help with what we know. Bulqadar especially has the knowledge, I just learned as he studied."

"You and your brother suddenly coming in so soon after my 'trial by combat'," the venom lacing Fray's tone was understandable, and Amasar had a sinking suspicion he could tell the thoughts behind the suspicious look leveled at him. "Is rather convenient. Coupled with one of you being the Azure Dragoon?"

He barked out a laugh, "the Temple Knights think I can't understand half of what they say, let alone reply to them. Everyone speaks to Bulqadar, he's the voice and the charisma. I'm here to keep things away from him and make the rest hurt."

He leaned back, and flashed a grin that was all teeth, "besides, when people think you can't understand them? They'll say _anything_ in front of you.

"But no," Amasar settles on, "if you do not trust us it is your right. If you wish to never see us again after the sending off, we will do our best to follow your request. Know that if our business brings us or ours here, though, we will return."

With that he rummages through his bag again, pulling out some fruit and berries. He held a berry up to the bat that hung from his left horn, the little thing stealing it from his grasp and feasting upon it.

He watched as Mauci bounced over to the elezen child, purring as he weaves himself around her ankles. A smile turns up the corners of his lips as she picks up the coeurl kitten, petting him as she sits by Fray's feet.

Amasar looked in his pack, looking up at the group before offering the contents to the group at large, "anyone want some fruit? I've got berries, apples, oranges, lemons, pears, aaand," he turns the bag to himself, rummaging through it before turning it back to them, "a couple bundles of grapes," he finishes his spiel by reaching in and grabbing one of the aforementioned fruit and casually biting right into it before offering the bat another berry.

Looking up from the berries, he met the looks of disbelief and mild horror on Sid and Fray's faces. Rielle just quietly ate an apple, petting Mauci while the kitten kneaded her shirt.

"What?"

"That's a lemon," Sid stated as he looked at the citrus in Amasar's hand.

"Yes."

"You bit into a lemon," Fray stated blandly, "like an apple."

"Yes."

" _Why?_ " Fray and Sid asked in unison, exasperation evident in their tone.

Amasar just smiled at them before he took another bite.

* * *

When Bulqadar came back to the room some time later, it was to Sid sitting behind Fray, the hyur propped up by him and a small pile of fruit in Fray's lap. Rielle was sitting in the chair with Mauci on her lap sleeping, and Amasar stood braiding her hair, in the middle of a story.

"... of course _then_ he decides that the best way to continue my dragoon training would be to invite me and his father to meet him on top of blood red crystals _in the middle of a blizzard_ ," Amasar gripes with an annoyed look on his face before he continues, "at least I get some training then, right? Nooo, no we get a lecture and then he just _leaves_ ," Amasar finishes with an exasperated flourish, tying off Rielle's braid and motioning for her to go check her reflection in the mirror and shooing the cat off her lap.

"But I got to beat the sense back into him, somewhat recently," he said with a satisfied smile, "so if nothing else I know that works if he's going to fall back into old habits."

It brings a chuckle out of Fray and a bark of laughter from Sid, and Rielle loves her hair so Amasar counts it as a win. Mauci loves the attention he's getting and the bat is asleep on his horn, and Amasar is practically _glowing_.

Bulqadar had been teasing when he said Amasar was fond of the hyur, but apparently his twin was more fond of them than he realized…

Still, the mood shifted as he made his way into the room, placing his bag by Amasar's before looking at Sid. "I put in an order for what we'll need. It'll take some time, but we should have everything we need before the full moon."

The Orl nodded, subconsciously squeezing Fray at the reminder of why the twins were here hit him again. He could have lost Fray, the vestiges of his new family...

Amasar and Bulqadar made eye contact and nodded, Amasar taking out more fruit and leaving it on the desk table in the room before shouldering his pack. "No rest for the wicked, Bulqasar?"

The other nodded, "granted the time without Alphinaud has been nice, we can't leave everything to Tataru, Amadar. Goodness knows she works hard enough for the rest of the scions."

"You plan on leaving the fruit?" The question is out of Fray's mouth before he can stop it, and the two turn to look from the fruit on the desk back to the hyur.

Amasar tilted his head in slight confusion, "yes? Was that not clear?" He turned to Bulqadar and his twin shrugged.

"Fruit gets expensive," Sid mentioned, gesturing toward the ones on the table, "some more than others, yes, but fresh fruit is…"

"Oh! Don't worry," Amasar explained, "I didn't pay for it."

"He gathered it himself," Bulqadar filled in before assumptions could be made, "Amasar enjoys botany."

"It's nice to have an 'acceptable excuse' in the eyes of the Scions to disappear for a while," he admitted, scooping Mauci up and petting the kitten when it squirmed from the sudden relocation.

"There's two of us," Bulqadar grumbled, "you'd think they'd allow some time off from the constant grind that you don't have to validate to them."

Amasar shrugged, shoving down the bitterness he felt at the missing and possibly dead Scions. Let the dead rest, he had to move on and keep his head up.

Fray and Sid looked at each other, sensing the depth of the anger in the man's aether- Botany was not enough of a balance for him they knew.

Either way, the twins waved and Bulqadar gave the parting words, "we'll find you when the order is in, stay safe out there."

The door shut with a click, and the tone of the brothers voices and the sounds of their footsteps slowly faded.

"They were nice," Rielle says after taking another bite of apple.

"They were," Fray admitted, feeling the last bit of tension escape from his frame with only Sid and Rielle to see him like this.

"You two liked Amasar," Rielle said in a matter-of-fact voice, "you kept looking at his face while he was telling the story- more than just polite eye contact."

The two on the bed spluttered denials and half-hearted explanations, but the elezen girl just smiled behind her apple, basking in what could've been lost had it not been such a close call.

* * *

Amasar and Bulqadar walked in silence back to the Last Vigil, where they were to meet with Tataru and Alphinaud at Fortemps Manor.

" _ <That was quite a detour,> _ " Bulqadar started with a teasing grin at his brother, " _ <you get to explain it to Alphinaud.> _"

Amasar rolled his eyes and bumped Bulqadar with his shoulder, " _ <what Warriors of Light would we be if we left the man to die?> _"

" _ <We can't save them all, Amadar,> _" his twin warned, prompting a bark of laughter from the brother in question, even if it drew disgusted looks from the elezen around that couldn't listen in on the conversation in 'such a barbaric language' as a Lady on the road commented to her compatriot.

" _ <No, but we save the ones we can.> _"


	2. And then there were Fetch Quests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't expect double updates often, I just didn't know how to otherwise split this and maybe someone will be able to harass me into writing more for it.

The next morning saw them on a tour of the city from a manservant, the man showing them the various areas of the city, the history, and generally ‘places they would find themselves’.

Amasar and Bulqadar hadn’t missed the way temple knights lurked by where they had dumped Fray, clearly confused by the lack of a corpse.

They also didn’t miss how Sid, Rielle, and Fray were all at a table together when they got to the Forgotten Knight. How, when the rest of their group’s attention was focused elsewhere, Rielle gave the twins a small wave that they happily returned. The twins were relieved to see that, while Sid still stood- tall and imposing (to most anyway, the twins knew there were very few auri that weren’t Olkund that were taller than _they_ were and they had a few ilms on Sidurgu), Fray and Rielle sat this time. The elezen girl had worked too hard for her work to be undone by sheer pride, and if he was going to be out and about (as opposed to using his good sense and staying in bed to rest) he was at least being _somewhat_ careful.

That Gibrillont did not out the twins as being return customers was somewhat reassuring, the man knew when to keep a secret and read the group to be certain. His discussion with Alphinaud was somewhat enlightening, if nothing else, and Tataru’s adamance that she would stay to drink… well, it was obvious Amasar was the only one who figured she could be safe enough here.

So with a shrug, he chimed in, “I’ll stay.”

Tataru whirled on him, “no you will _not!_ I am perfectly capable-”

“Didn’t say weren’t,” he replied slowly, brow furrowed, gesturing to the elezen around the end of the bar, “repairs?”

Obediently the rest of the party turned to look, noticing the fairly obvious repair kit the merchant had, and how she was replacing links of some knight’s chainmail as she sat by the bar. “Sir, if you needed repairs, earlier we were-” the manservant trailed off, noticing Amasar and Bulqadar each slowly raising a single brow at him. Realizing the not-chaperoning-but-chaperoning for what it was, the man cleared his throat, “ah! Yes, yes of course- an adventurer must needs keep his equipment in order,” looking at Amasar directly, he said in a loud, slow, deliberate, and well-enunciated tone, “do you know the way home, ser?”

Amasar’s face was blank as he paused, turned to Bulqadar, “ _ <why do they always think speaking louder makes it easier to understand them?> _”

Bulqadar’s face was the mask of indifference, but he shook with concealed mirth. “ _ <If I knew I’d tell you,> _” he promised. 

Amasar nodded, before looking back at the elezen, “yes, thank.”

With that, the group split up, the lalafel and the quiet foreigner remaining. She sighed, but he could tell the second she refused to let his presence deter her- she perked right up and got to work doing what she did best, finding her way into people’s hearts and secrets. Amasar knew she’d be just fine, and he really did need someone to look at his gear.

The mender was polite enough (for someone who just had their work interrupted by a foreigner with seemingly-low language comprehension), “I’ll look your gear over when I’m done this mail, dr-” she stopped herself, shaking her head before she finished, “adventurer.”

Amasar nodded and thanked her, choosing the exact middle stool at the bar, effectively sitting with his back to the entire rest of the room.

Now it was Fray and Sid’s turn to gawk and wonder about the man.Turning his back to the entire bar? This close to the Brume?

Yet there he sat, body language seemingly at ease as he waited for his turn.

Sid shook his head, "I'll be back," before storming over to the bar.

The blue man turned to the other xaela in the room, "hm? Can help?"

Sid leaned against the bar, crossing his arms as he looked down at the sitting au ra, " _ <what happened to 'stay away'?> _"

The hints of emotions on the man's face fell away, a blank mask of disinterest meeting the Dark Knight, " _ <today? She stays, I stay- long enough they establish she’s safe here. Tomorrow she comes and goes as she pleases, won’t join unless they explicitly ask,> _ ” he shrugged here, “ _ <and you didn’t ask us to stay away. We put the option out there, and you didn’t tell us either way. We’ll be where our business takes us and ours. If you truly wish to never see us again, we’ll help you with last rites and do our best from there.> _”

By now the nosiest people had figured out they couldn’t eavesdrop on a conversation in such an odd tongue- no cognates to be found and the body language was closed off on both parties involved. In the bubble of privacy the standing of the two finally piped up, “ _ <... thank you for the fruit, but there’s no way we can eat it all before it spoils.> _”

Amasar looked up at the warrior with a critical eye, “ _ <how much do you three eat? Should be a fair meal or two for-> _ ” he trailed off, looking at Fray and Rielle, “ _ <I gave you too much, feel free to do what you please with the excess. Sell it, give it away, what have you. I gave you easily two meals for three warriors each. Well, travel meals anyway-> _”

It was Sid’s turn for his eyebrows to raise, “ _ < _ **_Two_ ** _meals? There was more than that- > _”

Amasar’s brow furrows, “ _ <How much do _ **_you_ ** _eat? > _”

Sid mumbled something, to which the blue man tilted his head, “ _ <say that one more time, please?> _”

Sid repeated himself.

Amasar stared at him.

The tone of the bar shifted as the blue man slowly rose to his full height, Sid’s head having to tilt up to keep eye contact. Amasar’s brows were furrowed, “ _ <once more, I don’t think I’m hearing just right.> _”

Sid grit the answer out once more between clenched teeth, and the jaws of the collective bar patrons **_dropped_** as the blue man grabbed the most frightening fixture of the Forgotten Knight and _lifted him in the_ ** _air_** with a small frown on his face, no signs of obvious exertion. “ _<_ ** _Far_** _too light, you and your armor weigh what you should be by yourself, >_” he muses, placing the Orl back on his feet and thinking.

Sid looked at the blue man with some expression he couldn’t name, “ _ <wh-> _”

“ _ <I’ll be back,> _” the blue man began, turning on his heel and calling out, “watch Tataru,” as he was up the stairs and out of the Forgotten Knight in a flash.

The Dark Knight turned, watching as all the patrons immediately drop their heads back to their cups and pick their jaws off the floor. Looking to Gibrillont he shook his head with a sigh, the elezen man chuckling at the au ra’s expense, “don’t think we’ll have to worry too much about Miss Tataru’s safety then, will we?”

Grumbling something that prompted another laugh from the elezen barkeep, Sid stormed back to the table with Fray and Rielle, both of which trying not to laugh at the au ra’s situation.

* * *

“ _ <I’m sorry, you’re doing _ **_what_ ** _Amasar? > _”

“ _ <Just shut up and ask for what the closest equivalent to baras there is here.> _”

“ _ <Baras? Know someone trying to put on muscle, Amasar?> _”

“ _ <There’s no shortage of fatty animals here, I plan on setting up a rotation-> _”

“ _< Amasar you _**_do_** _have it bad >_”

“< _Just_ **shut up** _and_ **ask** already _!_ >”

* * *

Apparently just on the other side of the Western Highlands of Coerthas was Dravania- and a beast there called a ‘bandersnatch’ had the closest description to a baras.

Amasar, however, didn’t have the _time_ just now to run to Dravania, so instead he teleported to Costa del Sol and took care of a buffalo problem. They’d start with the fatty foods first, it seemed.

He made good time back to the Forgotten Knight, bartering with Gillbront to get the right to use the inn’s kitchen, and then whisked himself into the back with sacks fit to burst with buffalo.

Sid wanted the floor of the Forgotten Knight to swallow him whole, in that moment.

It only got worse when a miqo’te entered the Forgotten Knight, making straight for the lalafel Sid was charged with watching for Amasar, apparently. The au ra straightened to his full height and moved to assist, but stopped when the lalafel greeted him as a friend, if her gleeful cry of “Nijoh’ir!” was anything to go by.

Rielle could apparently hear their conversation, watching as the Miqo’te asked the lalafel something, she pointed behind the bar, Nijoh’ir’s ears flicked in confusion, she jerked her head back, and then Nijoh’ir was looking at the back table. His eyes settled on their group, a grin beginning to split his face, ears and tail wiggling as he asked her another question before nodding, hopping the bartop, and zipping in the back himself.

“Hope you didn’t want quiet evenings anymore,” Fray mused from where he sat playing triple triad with Rielle, bringing her attention back to their game, “I have a feeling things just got more interesting around he- _where did you get that card?_ Reille you did not have that card when we last played.”

The grin that split their ward’s face was one of the cat that ate the canary, sticking her tongue out at the hyur her only response.

* * *

“So,” Nijoh’ir began where he leaned in the doorframe, watching Amasar work with the buffalo while the cook was “““on break””” (actually watching the au ra like a hawk while the blue man puttered around the cooking space, the hyur looking for the first sign to kick him out) and rummaging through his bag for his collection of spices from home. Once the container was out, Nijoh’ir’s eyebrows did their damndest to pass his hairline, “you _do_ have it bad, Bulqadar and Tataru weren’t kidding.”

Amasar’s gaze flitted back to the man scowling from his spot in the corner, before looking back at Nijoh’ir, “ _ <hush, you- he’s underweight in a bad way,> _ ” Amasar defended himself, “ _ <should weigh at least three stone more. Now, do you want any boortsog if I make some?>” _

“Those are the little shaped pastries, right?”

“ _ <Yes, I’ve got honey and some preserves I’ve been making to go with them.> _”

“I’m going to need at least 12.”

* * *

Nijoh’ir was sent out to politely ask Sid, Fray, Rielle and Bulqadar- who had since joined them to escort Tataru home- to go back to their room while Amasar got all the food ready, and, though wary and slightly confused, the three agreed, Bulqadar wishing them a good meal as he waited on Tataru.

It wasn’t until Amasar started bringing the food in they realized it was due to the sheer volume of food the man had made.

It took a few good trips for Amasar to get the dishes in, idly scratching the scales at the back of his neck after the final trip as he looked at the quantities he’s laid out for the group, “in hindsight I may have forgotten I wasn’t feeding a group purely of auri warriors,” he mused. Fray and Sid looked at him with sheer exasperation as Nijoh’ir advised Rielle on the best ways to coat a boortsog in honey _and_ preserves for optimal sweet consumption.

“It might not look like much,” Amasar felt the need to explain as he shooed Nijoh'ir and Rielle away from the deserts and to their actual dinner, he’d noticed Eorzans being somewhat picky about how their food looked (or maybe that was just the “upper crust”?), “but the taste is there. This should start putting weight back on you, Sidurgu,” giving the other xaela a plate vertiably piled with meat and drowning in sauce.

Fray accepted his own plate before he turned to look at Sid, eyes seeking those of his fellow Dark Knight, “weight back on?”

Amasar nodded as he snagged his own plate, still a larger portion than usual to the hyur and elezen but not as extreme as Sid’s, “he’s roughly three stone underweight. Auri men eat a **_lot_ ** growing up, especially when we start growing in earnest. If we can’t get all we need, we’ll still be _strong_ but not as strong.”

Sid grumbled, “I’m fine, we do what we can to get by. Not every day is as good for hunting, Amasar.”

Amasar nodded, “yes, which is why it takes a tribe to raise all their children. I’ve noticed that children of other races don’t seem to share the appetite of auri youth,” Amasar mused. He turned to Fray, “did he not exhibit the ceaseless appetite?”

Amasar and Bulqadar were both very concerned for Alphinaud when they saw him eat until he was full the first time- surely he wasn’t finished? There was still plenty of food, he didn’t have to worry, none were at risk of going hungry at the end of the meal-

Yet the more they observed those around them, the more they realized that _yes_ the children ate more, but they didn’t seem to have the same appetite that kept tribes stocked up on dried meats for the younglings to snack on between meals. Oh, it wasn’t like the hunger lasted forever- once they stopped growing the endless hunger ceased and they cut back radically on what they needed to eat.

Fray paused, thinking on the nights in their youth when they’d all _eaten_ but weren’t necessarily _full_. “He did,” Fray confirmed, tone muted as the implications of the many nights he’d vaguely heard Sid’s grumbling stomach when they were younger settled in.

Amasar hummed, “we can get the weight back on him easy enough. Rotating fatty and lean meats to cover bases and get muscle back. Will dry meats so you can eat more consistently, get body comfortable with feeling full again, and we can expand portions from there.”

Everyone was looking at Amasar, then, Nijoh’ir piping up, “Amasar that’s a very well thought out plan,” he began, only for Fray to cut in-

“I approve, but how do we sustain it? Meat can be hard to come by, especially with our particular relationship with the temple knights.”

Amasar blinked at him in confusion, “I may not be able to cook for you each night, but if nothing else I can and will supply the meat,” he gestured to sheer amount of buffalo that remained, “xaela use everything, but that’s the meat most of eorza uses. I kept the…” Amasar trailed off, snapping his fingers as he looked for the word, “more-than-difficult bits,” he settled on. “Nijoh’ir offered to make a case you can keep it in, I have ice crystals that can help keep meat cool to last longer. Can also supply salt to preserve it.”

Rielle chimed in then, asking the question before taking a bite, “what’s this, then? It’s very good.”

Amasar opened his mouth to answer before Nijoh’ir cut in, knowing exactly which organs went into this and how some children reacted to finding out what they were eating, “maybe you should ask that after you’ve finished desert? That is, if you save room for it,” he teased the elezen.

Rielle pointed her fork at him, “you’re just trying to protect your share of those, aren’t you?”

Nijoh’ir brought his hand to his chest in mock offense, ears betraying his true emotions as he looked at her, “ _Me?_ Would _I_ do such a thing? Keep sweets from a _child_?”

“It’s Fray you’ll have to protect those from,” Sid warns, ignoring Fray’s noise of protest as he points to where the boortsog sat cooling, “his sweet tooth knows no bounds.”

The hyur flushed and grumbled as he took his next bite, “I’ll remember that when we spar next, Sid.”

Amasar smiled as he looked at the group as a whole- food bringing out the best in everyone and building friendships as they went.

Truly, this was something he would enjoy doing more.

* * *

Unfortunately, there was always work of the warriors of light, and it was off to the western highlands with them. Amasar would’ve been overjoyed with that, planning to take a couple hours to go hunting for bandersnatch, when Artoirel more-or-less signed the group up to be the lackeys of the camp.

And then him sending them into an ambush.

Granted their meeting with Iceheart was a very educational one, thanks to Midgardsormr, but still futile in its resolution.

Of course there were still _more_ things to be done in and around the camp- always needing another hand, always more help-

Which lead to them being the _convictor’s_ lackeys. Amasar had trained with the lance, had been picked up by the dragoon, had earned the title of Azure Dragoon, even! Yet these were some of the _worst_ dragon slayers he had met. Not that they were bad at their job, inherently, but they had no _unity_.

“ _ <What good is a team that can’t coordinate,> _ ” Amasar grumbled as he and Bulqadar helped relocate a dragon corpse for the squabbling group, “ _ <if you have no one you trust at your back, hunting is just asking for injury.> _”

“ _ <Shut up and pull the dragon, Amasar-> _”

But through their “own” realization (namely Amasar, Bulqadar, and Nijoh’ir showing off the benefits of a _functional team_ ) the group got over themselves. Began to see how to best do things as a team, not as a coalition of wanderers with their own agendas.

And then they were back at Fortemp Manor (pushing some time to the side for them to cover for Amasar’s running into Dravania to see what a Bandersnatch was- “ _ <bigger than baras, Bulqadar, we need to go back there more> _”- and bring one back for Sid).

Where Artoirel apologized for knowingly sending them into an ambush. Assuming and hoping to a lesser degree that they would have died, knowing how close the three were with Haurchefant.

“ _ <He realizes _ **_I’m_ ** _the only one that isn’t supposed to be able to understand him, > _ ” Amasar asked as the three of them stared at the lordling in various stages of disbelief and anger, “ _ <right? That you two speak the same language as he? That we didn’t need to know all of that?> _”

“ _ <Well,> _ ” Bulqadar began, keeping his tone steady, “ _ <he did say he would never doubt us again, Amadar. I may have some ideas.> _”

“ _ <Bulqasar, I do love hearing that from you.> _”

“ _ <Oh good,> _ ” Nijoh’ir replied between them, both brother’s gazes snapping down to the miqo’te that gawked at Artoriel in horror as he spoke in their mother tongue, “ _ <because who knowingly sends their brother’s lover and two friends into an ambush in hopes they’ll be killed? _How much do you have to hate your brother to do that?>”

Artoirel still stood before them, unsure _precisely_ how their conversation related to his apology, but knowing it wasn’t going well either way. Clearing his throat, he turned slightly, “if I may, I believe Emmanellain is in need of your talents, now?”

And then they were running around Camp Cloudtop, keeping Emmanellain in line and otherwise proving helpful around the camp.

It was one such time when they were slaying gastornis for some reason or another at the camp’s behest that Bulqadar got a linkpearl message. He extracted himself from the foul-smelling fowl’s carnage easily enough, and by the time he was free the slaughter was ended, Amasar and Nijoh’ir stood a fair distance from the pile of birds, getting upwind to try to ease their burning noses from the stench.

“Amasar, we don’t have to eat these, do we?”

Amasar shook his head, “I refuse to cook something that makes a smell that much worse than death. Camp can have it, I’ll let their waste slide.”

Bulqadar jogged over, smirk crossing his face, “Amadar, Nijoh’ir, where’s your sense of adventure,” he teased, the two looking at him with teary eyes and faces showing every strain of defiance they could muster without throwing up. 

The wind shifted, all three of them having to cover their noses as the wind, while not blowing the stench onto them, was no longer giving fresh air- the stench of the beasts even from a distance pricking tears in Bulqadar’s own eyes, “point taken- shall we,” he gestured further away from the beasts, his two companions running in that general direction with him not far behind them.

By the time everyone had regained their composure, Bulqadar had almost forgotten what had been discussed on the linkpearl. He snapped his fingers and jolted upright as he remembered, “ah! Amasar, the materials are in. The full moon is quite close, as well- we’ll need to finish up here else we’ll need to make sure we can leave for the day of the full moon to get everything set up…”

As luck would have it, after they delivered the birds they were sent to go get spring crystals with Emmanellain. A task he proceeded to abandon, and they had to go find him.

And then rescue him from a circumstance born of his stupidity.

Haurchefant showing up was quite a pleasant surprise, the group had to say!

The Primal showing up they could have gone without.

Them getting back to the manor, and finding out that Tataru and Alphinaud had been accused of Heresy? That they would have to fight their way out of it?

“We know Tataru is not a fighter,” Nijoh’ir pointed out, “but Alphinaud is 16. Do we want to stand in for him, as well?”

Amasar and Bulqadar looked at each other before looking back at the miqo’te, “yes,” they said in unison. For all the teen’s many, _many_ flaws, he was still a child. Making him fight? Against fully grown and armed men that are the elite of the country?

Suffice to say, Amasar and Nijoh'ir were the two picked to fight for the next day's trial.

Bulqadar and Amasar moved the heavier of the materials to the site they chose with Sid to hold the ceremony. It wouldn't be where the Orl had camped, breaking tradition somewhat, but as Coerthas was dramatically different visually and the circumstances of the Dark Knight, the dead would understand.

The spot they chose was far enough outside the city that the Temple Knights would not disturb them, and close enough to Camp Dragonhead that Haurchefant's men were warned and knew better than to come investigate. For what they needed, it was perfect.

Bulqadar would continue ferrying supplies from the city and constructing the pyre as the duo fought, but before Amasar and Nijoh'ir went back to the city proper to prepare for the trial they elected to help Bulqadar as they could.

"Before you two go," Bulqadar called from his spot by the timber, "I need to say my piece," he warned. Gesturing to the pile of timber and various cloths behind him, he looked from one to the other, "this is a send off for family. Loved ones. If _you_ add _your_ bodies to it I will **_personally_ ** come to the afterlife, pull you through the lifestream, and kill you myself."

Amasar chuckled, "always overdramatic, Bulqadar. We only need worry if they don't let Nijoh'ir fight for Alphinaud." He would fight for Tataru either way- it was plain to see by any that Tataru had many skills, fighting was just not one of them.They also figured the court would be less likely to decline substitution for Alphinaud if it was a Miqo'te stepping in, not someone who looked not unlike their ancestral enemy.

The other twin rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in exasperation, "my point stands! Now go, send them to meet their ancestors."

"I don't think we're actually supposed to kill them," Nijoh'ir chimed in, "unless they refuse to yield. More political stagshit involved either way."

The twins shrugged, Bulqadar punching Amasar in the arm before waving him away.

So they walked back, passing witchdrop ("careful, it's very deep. Keep meeting people down there, though. Not sure what that implies for religious purposes-"), collecting Haurchefant, and heading through the gates and to the tribunal.

Haurchefant’s vow that should they find themselves flagging, he would be cheering the loudest for them had Amasar smiling at the man, before mumbling to Nijoh’ir something about “ _ <getting good luck kisses> _” and nudging the miqo’te forward. Nijoh’ir may have playfully gestured rudely at him in return, but Haurchefant made sure the miqo’te had no shortage of good luck.

The biggest hurdle was not convincing the church, but convincing _Alphinaud_ to let Nijoh'ir step in for him. The kid had something to prove in a bad way, but it oddly took heckling from Ser Grinnaux for the elezen youth to stand down, “if the lad is so adamant he can handle himself, then let him prove his own innocence! His claws can’t be much sharper than the cat over there.”

It’s a near thing that keeps Amasar and Nijoh’ir from snarling at the knights, only the fear they would be deemed ‘savage’ or find more reasons to try to wipe out the remaining xaela from their homelands. Instead, Amasar grit out in his ‘broken’ Eorzan, “didn’t think children sport,” making direct eye contact with the Bull.

The elezen narrowed his eyes at the au ra, retribution plain on his features. His second- Ser Paulecrain they’d been informed upon arriving- looked at the two with something akin to interest- in the sense of one looking at caged beast, that is. “Well, well, who do we have here? This one is mine,” he said, gaze trained on Amasar, “Ser Grinnaux. You take the miqo’te.”

The man grunted in displeasure, “bloody waste of... Come on, then,” he yelled as he pulled out his axe, “you wanted this, remember!?”

The two warriors of light looked at each other and nodded before they drew their weapons, the katana and the bow drawn as they stare down the knights of the heavens ward.

“ _ <Ah yes, close range heavy-hitter versus a ranged melee. That’s not biased, at all.> _”

“ _ <Just take down the guy who’s looking at us like bugs and then come give me a hand.> _”

“ _ <Gladly.> _”

It wasn’t a pretty fight, to say Ser Grinnaux fought _dirty_ was wrong, but he did fight _mean_. The good news is Amasar and Nijoh’ir were both used to fighting in any capacity, and both were good at adapting to the situation.

Amasar was no stranger to fighting a dragoon, nor was Ser Paulecrain too difficult a fight as the steppe warrior had bested _better_ dragoons. He could see the elezen’s mounting frustration as the au ra knew every telegraphed move, and some the knight did his best to mask.

Not many here knew how to fight a samurai, yet for all Amasar knew how to fight a dragoon, the bulk of his knowledge of dragoon tactics were when fighting _as_ a dragoon.

“You have been indulged enough,” the Knight yelled as he rallied against Amasar with greater force, “heathen swine!”

Thankfully, he had sparred with Ser Aliambert as a samurai- for all the convictor dragoon’s… flair (for lack of a better word) he was a good sparring partner that Amasar was happy to help learn- as anywhere from the Azure Dragoon to a friend, he liked to think.

Thanks to that knowledge, it wasn’t too much longer before Ser Praulecrain the Coldfire was forced to yield.

The fact neither knight (nor the onlookers if the resounding gasp through the court was any indication) had expected Amasar’s whip to actually be useful was something that, like the whip in question, was actually quite useful. After dispatching Ser Paulecrain, he was able to catch Ser Grinnaux’s wrist long enough to stay a strike that otherwise would have been a nasty blow to the miqo’te. 

The ranged fighter danced away from the mountain of a man, and Amasar advanced.

Once it became two-against-one the fight slid from an uphill battle, to a nigh-certain victory. That’s when Ser Grinnaux went from fighting mean to fighting dirty, taking the opportunities given to him to try to brute force the steppe warrior when he was on the defensive. Stil, the Warriors of Light were more than just adept at what they did, the better part of a year fighting for your life side by side? Every day? Very good for learning how the other fought.

It was hard to remember that Bulqadar was not at his side, but his twin’s growing interest into healing had shifted their dynamic enough that, while he still believed he had two people he had to keep attention for, he was getting used to _seeing_ Bulqadar healing as opposed to being somewhere behind him. Still, he still reflexively tried to keep the attention away from the second hypothetical ranged member of the party.

Of course Ser Grinnaux had noticed only too late Amasar was keeping his attention down the middle as opposed to keeping him opposite of Nijoh’ir, but by the time he thought to capitalize on it he was on his knees and a katana to his throat.

“Yield.”

The man sneered at the au ra and the miqo’te who stood together, looking down and away rather than verbally admit defeat.

Thankfully, the court did not require the vocal confirmation.

“The Fury has spoken! Alphinaud Leveilleur, Tataru Taru─you are hereby acquitted of all charges. Blessed are we who receive of Her wisdom and see justice wrought by Her divine hand! Petitioners, accused─go forth in peace!”

Amasar and Nijoh’ir sheathed their weapons, Amasar offering a hand for the Knight to help him stand. Ser Grinnaux scoffed, slapping it away before leveraging himself to his feet and storming off.

Nijoh’ir looked at him incredulously, “ _ <why would you offer him a hand?> _”

Amasar smiled at him, split lip bleeding below a grin that contained _just_ too many teeth, “ _ <warriors with that much pride? It burns them more when you appear to be the ‘bigger person’. Lets him stew in his loss all the more.> _”

The miqo’te’s ears and tail wiggled in his mirth, the two turning to meet back with Tataru and Alphinaud.

“Delivered from an untimely demise, yet again. My thanks,” the young elezen offers, looking down before adding on, “as always.”

“Let’s get you back to the manor,” Nijoh’ir replied, sagging slightly as the fatigue from the battle pulled at the miqo’te and au ra both.

The group nodded, leaving the chamber and seeing Haurchefant waiting for them, the house Fortemp knight practically bouncing in place for his enthusiasm. Once Nijoh’ir had passed through the door, he was on the move, crushing the miqo’te in his embrace and lifting him in his joy, “By the Fury, what a splendid victory! To see how you strove in the face of adversity─two brave young souls bound together by the puissant bonds of camaraderie...!”

“I thought we were going back to the manor,” Alphinaud grumbled, pride hurting and his jealousy rearing its head after the time they’d been having.

Amasar rolled his eyes, “let’s go. Been long day, have plans.”

Tataru followed with no complaints, but Alphinaud practically squawked as he followed Amasar, leaving Nijoh’ir and Haurchefant to dote upon each other, “ _you_ have plans, Amasar?”

The au ra rolled his eyes once more, waving to Nijoh’ir to acknowledge that he could take all the time he wanted- he knew where they’d be and knew he’d be welcome to join, “yes. Private.”

Tataru looked at him suspiciously, “does this have anything to do with the man from the Forgotten Knight, Amasar?”

Amasar looked down at her and nodded, “yes.”

“Hold on,” Alphinaud chimed in, “a man? Whom?”Amasar shook his head, herding the prying elezen back to the Fortemp Manor and being glad he ‘had a low language comprehension’ to fall back on- he _really_ didn’t want to answer half these questions, and Tataru was smirking devilishly as the teenager floundered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now I need to figure out how I want to freestyle with Bulqadar's previous occupation.

**Author's Note:**

> I love them, and yes, [MooncatEclipse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfgrowl/pseuds/MooncatEclipse)'s boys will make an appearance! This was just a good place to break a chapter in half.


End file.
